“An outlandish, take-no-prisoners satire” – The Hungry and the Fat by Timur Vermes
“A grime-covered, violent orgy of a novel” – The Small Backs of Children by Lidia Yuknavitch
“Ultimately lifeless” – Low by Jeet Thayil
“Characterised by humour, irony, absurdity” – Of Cats and Elfin by Sylvia Townsend Warner
“It’s a knockout” – Outside Looking In by TC Boyle
“More Mallory Towers than Harry Potter” – Abigail by Magda Szabó
“This smouldering, atmospheric crime novel” – The Dance of Death by Oliver Bottini
“I would’ve liked a bit less ambiguity” – This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga
“As a whole it lacks coherence” – Not Working by Josh Cohen
“A charming gothic fantasy” – Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
“Marvellous, as ever” – The Sussex Murder by Ian Sansom
“Highly readable” – Slack-Tide by Elanor Dymott
“More in the vein of Kent Haruf” – Elevation by Stephen King
“Remarkably moving” – When Death Takes Something From You Give it Back by Naja Marie Aidt
“Easily as good as Sapiens” – The Goodness Paradox by Richard Wrangham
“A predictable soap opera” – Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
“Well-intentioned effort” – Two Blankets, Three Sheets by Rodaan Al Galidi
“We’ve got a warped perception of reality” – The Reality Bubble by Ziya Tong
Gordon Burn Prize 2019 winner – For The Good Times by David Keenan
“Well-written, moving, and entertaining” – To the Volcano by Elleke Boehmer
“A poignant, beautifully executed conclusion” – The Death of Jesus, by J.M. Coetzee
“A kaleidoscopic melange of thoughts” – In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Marchado
“An obliteration of every sacred pillar” – Only Americans Burn In Hell by Jarett Kobek
On the Christmas Pile: 2019
“Not everybody chooses Ducks, Newburyport… Just almost everybody…” – Bookmunch Best of 2019
“Two intimately realised memoirs ” – This Does Not Belong to You / My Parents by Alexander Hemon
“A human heart that thinks” – The Tender Barbarian by Bohumil Hrabal
“Alive with an intelligent, gently smiling wit” – First You Write a Sentence by Joe Moran
